So, what’s in your camelback? Here’s a few of the extras I have to carry, in addition to the normal stuff. I hate carrying a camelback while mountain biking but it’s a necessary evil on long rides; insulin and associated paraphernalia, glucose tablets, medic alert info., glucose test strips and glucometer. That’s the one that really bugs because the technology and the engineering expertise is out there to produce a reliable, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system that can be easily used in every day life and in the rigors of competition. With the millions of insulin-challenged people in this country, there is certainly a profitable market for this. What I envision is a CGM system that interfaces with my Garmin Edge, providing a constant stream of data, much like my heart rate monitor provides, or one that works along with a Polar type watch unit. Of course, this doesn’t alleviate the need for balancing insulin intake and nutrition while doing an endurance activity, but it sure would be a useful tool to increase performance for diabetic athletes.

So, I got my routine blood work done last week and though the results are good, I’d like to see better. My A1C was 6.1, which I actually thought would be lower this time, since I felt like I should have been back in the normal range again. My 14 year, arithmetic mean A1C however, is still a very good 5.77. It’s only been in the last 2 years that the A1C has hovered around 6 for me and I’ve identified two primary reasons: The first is I’m using a new long acting insulin called Levemir. Though it’s a good insulin, my body doesn’t like it as well as my old Humulin Ultralente, which the manufacturer quit making. Why you ask? Follow the money. My old insulin retailed for about $25 a 100u bottle while the Levimir is retailing for around $300 for the same amount. The next biggest factor has been my cycling. Why? I’ve only been seriously training for endurance the past 2 years, and for proper training, I need to eat carbs, lots of them. Prior to my training regimen, in all honesty, I was primarily a weekend warrior, and I consumed an extremely low carb diet. Ultimately, I believe the benefits of the endurance training far outweigh the slight increase in the A1C, and we can only hope for new and improved technology and one day a cure for those that struggle with this issue.

Hope everyone avoids the couch this weekend!